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Diagnostics: Page 1

Troubleshooting Windows 95/98/Me/XP/Vista PC Problems with Microsoft Knowledge Base

Last updated on 15 March 2008

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Introduction to

the Microsoft (MS) Knowledge Base

The chances are good that if your computer has a software or a hardware problem, the answer is to be found on this page in the form of links to articles in Microsoft's Knowledge Base (KB).

Microsoft Knowledge Base searches

Below are the links to Knowledge Base searches. The subject matter that is searched for is provided within the link.

Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base: General search

Search the Knowledge Base: Setup issues and problems

Search the Knowledge Base: Installation issues and problems

Search the Knowledge Base: Internet Explorer issues and problems

Search the Knowledge Base: Outlook Express issues and problems

Search the Knowledge Base: Firewall issues and problems

Search the Knowledge Base: Wireless issues and problems

Search the Knowledge Base: Networking issues and problems

Search the Knowledge Base: Downloads: issues and problems

MS Knowledge Base articles on Windows/Microsoft Update

If you're looking for MS Knowledge Base articles that cover Windows/Microsoft Update that provides updates to Windows XP and Windows Vista, this is an excellent page to visit:

Mr Scary's Windows Update Resource Page -

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~mrscary/winupfaq.htm

Note that Microsoft is no longer providing updates for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me.

Other sources of information on diagnosing PC problems

However, there are plenty of PC problems that are not addressed by the MS Knowledge Base. This site and others provide plenty of information on the most common software and hardware problems that may or may not be covered in the Knowledge Base. Here are some useful links to PC problem pages and diagnostic utilities on this site:

Hardware diagnostic utilities

Click here! to go directly to links to sites that provide hardware diagnostic utilities (freeware and shareware) on the first of the four Links pages on this site.

Hardware and software problems and solutions on this site

To supplement this page, many of the most common software and hardware problems, and some that are obscure and difficult to diagnose, are discussed on this site. Click any of the relevant links below to visit the information it describes on this site:

1. - Recovering and repairing Windows XP when a computer crashes or fails to boot

2. - Recovering and repairing Windows Vista when a computer crashes or fails to boot

3. - Windows XP: How to troubleshoot and fix shutdown, restart (reboot), and startup problems

4. - Typical DLL (Dynamic Link Library) device driver problems

5. - Software problems: How to fix problems with Windows, programs, and utilities

Also visit the Software pages on this site for more information on specific software-related information and problems.

6. - Motherboard and power supply problems: How to fix common problems with faulty motherboards (mainboards) and power supplies (PSUs)

7. - RAM memory problems: How to fix problems with the Random Access Memory

8. - Hard disk drive problems: How to fix computer hard disk drive (HDD) problems

9. - CD/DVD drive problems: How to fix problems with CD and DVD drives and discs

10. - Processor problems: How fix common processor (CPU) problems

11. - Video/graphics card problems: How fix common computer video and graphics problems

12. - USB and FireWire problems: - How to fix common USB and FireWire problems

13. - Network problems: How to fix common wired and wireless networking and internet problems

14. - Laptop/notebook problems: How to address or fix the most common laptop/notebook problems

Visit the Build a PC page for information on how to build a desktop PC and solve self-build problems, and visit the other pages, such as the Video/Graphics, Sound, Motherboards, and Monitors pages for more problem-solving information, all of which can be accessed via the menu items and jump menu on the orange navigation bar, or via the site search engine at the top of each of the main pages.

How to fix problems with device drivers in Windows XP

Although the information on the following page is specific to Windows XP, much of the advice is relevant to the earlier versions of Windows. Click here! to read Troubleshoot Device Driver Problems.

How to use the Microsoft Knowledge Base

The purpose of this page is to make it easier to identify and access particular Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that address the most common problems with the various versions of Windows and other Microsoft software that are being used by home and office users.

Since Microsoft software has to interact with all of the other kinds of software - utilities, other browsers, and applications - the Knowledge Base also contains all of the known issues involving those interactions.

Continue reading the article if you are unfamiliar with using the Knowledge Base.

Microsoft has created a huge and ever-growing database of troubleshooting articles that attempts to address every possible known issue involving its software. It has named this database the Knowledge Base, which can be searched via its website, or by using the Google search engine by entering the title (enclosed in double quotation marks) or the reference number of a KB article. You can make use of the Google search box provided at the top of this page.

Visit this KB article - Searching the Technical Database (Knowledge Base) for more detailed information on how to search it.

In brief, to find a particular article at the Microsoft site or on Google, you have to know its reference number, or the title of the page. Being the shortest, the reference number is the easiest to use.

You can also enter a search phrase in The KB page's Search box to locate articles. Just enter a brief description of the problem and the program involved (Windows, Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.). E.g., entering the phrase Windows 98 always boots in Safe mode, should turn up the article(s) that discuss the problem.

In case you want to use it instead of Google, the link to the Knowledge Base at Microsoft's site is -

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo&

Or use http://support.microsoft.com/, which is easier to remember, and locate it from there. (Note that there is no www in the URL; it begins with http://support.

If you only know the reference number...

Note that to go directly to an article for which the reference number is known, you can use http://support.microsoft.com/ and add /?kbid= followed by the reference number. For example, if the reference number is 321305, the URL that takes you directly to the article is:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=321305

Note that Microsoft has removed the Q that used to be in front of all of the Knowledge Base (KB) articles. E.g. the KB reference Q306615 becomes 306615. You will still be able to access the old numbers containing the Q for a specified period before the pages are dropped.

An example of how to search these pages and the MS Knowledge Base itself

Here is an example: How to Download and Install DirectX -

The link to this KB article is -

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;179113

The reference number of the above article is the 179113 on the end of the URL. If you enter the title or that reference number in the Knowledge Base at Microsoft's website, or in the Google search engine, you should be able to find the relevant page.

For instance, if you were experiencing a problem with a computer running Windows 98 SE only booting to Safe mode, to find references to it on this page, you would enter the search term Safe mode in your browser's search function. - In Internet Explorer, this is under Edit => Find (on This Page).

This is what the search of this page turns up -

306615 - Computer Always Starts In Safe Mode - Windows 98/98SE.

You would then click the reference number beside the article's title, or copy the reference number and click one of the the links at the top of each table to visit either the MS Knowledge Base or the Google Groups search engine of past Usenet posts. Pasting the reference number into the search box on both of pages that come up should take you to the relevant article in the KB or newsgroup threads in Google Groups. You can also enter the reference number in the main Google search box of the kind that is provided at the top of this page.

The advantage of using the main Google search box is that it will find the link to the main article in the MS Knowledge Base, plus all of the related third-party articles on the problem recorded in Google's own huge database. Google Groups allows you to search through all of the Usenet newsgroups, a particular Usenet newsgroup, for posts, or to search the entire web. See the next item for more information on this topic.

Google Groups

You can add further depth to the search by using Google Groups - the massive database of newsgroup postings that Google owns.

Google's archived Usenet newsgroups -

http://www.google.com/grphp?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=

Enter the name of the newsgroup you want to search in the search box. Say, alt.windows98 or alt.os.windows-xp. In the next search box, enter your search phrase, or the article's reference number. You are provided with the options to search that newsgroup only, search all the newsgroups, or search the web. Searching all of the newsgroups is the default setting.

See the Newsgroups page on this site for more information about them.

General Articles

Articles Relevant to Windows 95/98/98 SE

Windows 95 and 98 are no longer supported by Microsoft, but the KB articles are still available

Articles Relevant to Windows 98 & 98 SE

Articles Relevant to Windows 98/98 Se/Me

Windows 98, 98 SE, and Windows Me are no longer supported by Microsoft, but the KB articles are still available

Articles Relevant to Windows 95/98/98 SE/Me

Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, and Windows Me are no longer supported by Microsoft, but the KB articles are still available

Articles Relevant to Windows Me

Windows Me is no longer supported by Microsoft, but the KB articles are still available

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